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Fourth Thalassian Conflict
The Fourth Thalassian Conflict was a foray into Quel'Thalas by Stormwind's 103rd Legion in February of 36 L.C. under the direction of Commander Teolon. Background Prior to the onset of war between the 103rd and the Dominion, there had been three campaigns against the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas by Grand Marshal Ashamal Shalah'aman, aptly named the First, Second, and Third Thalassian Conflicts. Following the death of Tendael Dawnlight and subsequent retirement of Ashamal, Quel'Thalas enjoyed a period of three years free of invasion from foreign powers. Serpico Shar'adore, former officer of Ashamal, reignited conflict with the Dominion shortly after his rise to political power. Now under the leadership of Tendael's son and heir, Tendael Dawnlight II (Setrien), the Dominion continued to serve the role of defending Quel'Thalas and expanding elven power and influence. Naturally, Serpico and Setrien clashed across multiple battlefields of Azeroth. In 36 L.C., Count Nathul Furlbrow of the County of Goldcoast authorized a commander of Serpico's legion to launch an invasion of Quel'Thalas. The commander, a draenei paladin named Teolon, agreed to seize elven magical goods for Nathul and conduct a field test of a new weapon developed by Goldcoast engineers. Battle of Halcyon Harbor The invasion began on February 24 in the evening. Led by draenei commander Teolon, the 103rd fleet landed at Halcyon Harbor in Evandien and began to pillage for magical instruments and materials. The Dominion of the Sun were the first responders to the attack, but by the time they had reached the harbor it was already destroyed. Setrien led a brave counterattack, but the toll was great on his forces. Before reinforcements from Silvermoon arrived, Teolon called for his men to retreat to their ships and begin navigating around the northern peninsula. After recovering from the battle, the Dominion marched west and prepared to defend along the Golden Strand. Battle of the West Sanctum The next day, the 103rd fleet anchored off the western coast of Quel'Thalas and sent a raiding party inward towards the West Sanctum. When they arrived, they were immediately met with resistance from the Dominion. While the two forces squared off, dragonhawk riders under the command of Feloirus Firavel laid waste to a significant majority of the 103rd fleet. A surviving battleship and transport sailed west to move out of range of the dragonhawk riders, rendering the 103rd stranded in enemy territory. Although they had successfully defended themselves at the West Sanctum, their remaining forces were forced to retreat south towards Sunsail Anchorage. Battle of Sunsail Anchorage Within a few hours, the 103rd had reached the anchorage and were attempting to commandeer one of the elven ships still docked in the harbor as a means of escape. The elven vessel, Azure Sheen, had no time to draw its anchor before the Dominion had surrounded the bay. A desperate battle took place between the two armies in which Teolon and Setrien themselves clashed upon the deck. Before the battle was concluded, Tendael called for his men to abandon ship. The Vega, a ley-cruiser of the Dominion air fleet, approached the bay from the south to annihilate the Azure Sheen and the surviving 103rd along with it. Unbeknownst to the Dominion, a magic artillery cannon had been erected by the 103rd at the western point of the bay and destroyed the Vega in one shot. The vessel crashed into the forest to the south and the Azure Sheen sailed hastily from the bay to escape. Residual damage from the battle eventually caused the ship to wreck off the coastline and force the 103rd to move on foot once again. The Dominion forces regrouped at Fairbreeze Village, then started moving south in pursuit of their the 103rd survivors. Battle of Goldenbough Pass The 103rd continued south until reaching a section of forest decimated by the crashing of the Vega. With the Dominion on their heels, they were forced to press on without having much time to recover from the previous battle. Meanwhile, Setrien's forces, with reinforcements from Silvermoon, moved south towards Runestone Falithas. It wasn't long before the 103rd were pinpointed by Dominion scouts. Outflanked and undersupplied, the 103rd stood little chance against the Dominion ambush, leaving the surviving army no choice but to retreat south across the Elrendar River. By now the Dominion had a significant advantage over their opponents, stirring them to finish what was started in Evandien. Battle of Shalandris Isle Using crude rowboats found on the shore of Goldenmist Village, the 103rd managed to make it as far as Shalandris Isle before the Dominion caught up with them. The beleaugered soldiers held out on the island for as long as they could while their transport arrived to rescue them. Though they managed to inflict personal wounds upon Setrien and hold off his army long enough to be rescued, the losses incurred by the 103rd were significant. Furthermore, dragonhawk riders had located the remaining 103rd battleship and sunk it just minutes after the engagement started. The 103rd survivors hastily boarded the last transport after stalling the Dominion for several minutes, narrowly sailing out of range of the dragonhawk riders and escaping Quel'Thalas entirely. Aftermath The Dominion had successfully repelled the 103rd and protected Quel'Thalas from major harm. With the exception of a transport, the entire 103rd fleet had been wiped out by the Dominion's dragonhawk riders. Furthermore, victory over one of the most demonstrative forces of the Alliance was a compelling boon to the Dominion's morale. Nevertheless, the destruction of the Vega had crippled their aerial dominance and set them back hundreds of thousands of gold in military investment. Moreover, the economy of Evandien was impaired while repairs were made to its only harbor. For the 103rd, the benefit of acquiring elven magical goods was vastly disproportionate to the losses suffered during the raid. Although they had managed to inflict serious casualties to the Dominion, it was impossible to ignore their own staggering losses. Even worse, blueprints for the magic artillery cannon used against the Vega were recovered by the Dominion during salvage. As a result, the Dominion would begin using these blueprints to begin construction of a similar weapon with their own deadly modifications. Category:Battles Category:Campaigns Category:Dominion of the Sun Category:Events